Keel-support with clamps for lifeboats



- J. DE BEER.

KEEL SUPPORT WITH CLAMPS FOR LIFEBOATS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.Z. l9l8.

Patented Jan. 4, 1921.

Iii c5605 626 unrrsa stares PATENT OFFICE.

JACOB DE BEER, OF ROT'IERDAM, NETHERLANDS.

REEL-SUPPORT WITH CLAMPS FOR LIFEBOATS.

Application filed. August 2, 1918.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JACOB on BEER, gentleman, a subject of the Queen or: the Netherlands, residing at Rotterdam, 1n the Province of South Holland, in the Kingdom oi the i etherlands, have invented certaln new and useful Improvements in Keel-Supports with Clamps for Lifeboats, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a keel support with clamps for life boats and has for its principal object to construct a keel support with clamps in such a manner that a boat may be quickly freed from the support and the clamps by single manipulation. The invention has for further object to construct the clamps in such a way that after one boat has been released and lowered another boat may be easily placed upon the support. In accordance with the invention, the first object is obtained by placing the keel support further inboard of the ship than the davits and mounting the keel support 1n such a way in a framework fixed to the deck that it may turn outboard oi the ship by its own weight. The support comprises a bar extending substantially lengthwise or the ship, pivoted for rotary movement in the framework, and provided w1th arms or clamps which extend outboard and also provided with a corresponding number of arms extending inboard, together with suitable locking devices to secure the bar agalnst rotary movement and means IOl quickly releasing the locking devices.

As the keel support, wh1ch is mounted ror rocking movement in the deck framework, is placed farther inboard of the ship than the davits, the boat will also be located farther inboard of the ship than the davits when it rests upon the keel support so that when the keel support is released and t1lts under the influence of its own weight the boat suspended from the davits by tl e ropes will swing sidewise until it hangs directly between the davits. The boat may be brought clear of the keel support and the clamps in a very simple manner. ln'order, after the lowering of a boat, to place another boat upon the keel support this latter boat must, where the ordinary construction oi: clamps is employed, be lifted or hoisted over the clamps. This is difficult to do According to the present invention, this difficulty is avoided by hinging to the framework opposite to the clamps on the keel support fur- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 4, 1921. Serial No. 248,057.

ther clamps which may be turned over sidewise.

The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in wh ch:

l 1gure 1 1s a plan view of a keel support with clamps embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is an end view showing in full lines a boat resting upon the keel support, in which position it is secured and also showing in dotted lines the positions assumed by the boat and by the keel support after the keel support has rocked on its hearings to permit the boat to hang directly between the davits.

Figs. 3 and 4 are detail views showing connection between the shafts of the releasing levers for the keel support and for the lashings, and

Figs. 5 and 6 are, respectively, an end View and an edge view of one end of the deck framework showing the mounting of one of the auxiliary clamps or chocks.

The keel support is hinged or pivoted for rocking movement in deck framework 1 and 3, as shown in Fig. 2, where the axis of rotation is indicated by the numeral 4:. The keel support comprises a supporting bar 5 which is provided intermediate its ends with an upright supporting plate 6 and also pro vided adjacent its opposite ends with cor responding supporting plates 7 and 8. The bar 5 also carries clamps 9 and 10 associated with the plates 7 and 8, which clamps extend from the outboard side of the bar ,5. Arms 11 and 12 are also secured to the supporting bar 5 adjacent its opposite ends and extend in the opposite direction from the clamps 9 and 10. The plates 6, 7 and 8 and clamps 9 and 10 are preferably so constructed that they over-balance the arms 11 and 12 so that the keel support tends to assume the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2.

Approximately under the center of the keel support and extending at a right angle thereto is a sleeve 13 shown as being tubular in form and mounted in bearings 15 and 16 fixed to the deck. The inner ends of rods 17 and 18, which are arranged substantially parallel to the bar 5, are connected at the points 19 and 20, respectively, to crank arms carried by a connecting piece 21 fixed to the sleeve 13. The opposite ends of the rods 17 and 18 are hingedly connected to bolts 24 and 25 which move in and are supported by brackets 22 and 23. The bolts 24 and 25 in dotted lines.

also pass through the deck framework 1 and 3, respectively. In Fig. 1 these bolts are shown as protruding through the framework 1 and 3 and thrust over the extremities of the arms 11 and 12 of the keel support so as to secure the keel support in position to support a boat, as shown in full lines in Fig. 2. In order to actuate the bolt rods to release the keel support, the sleeve 13 must be rocked, and for this purpose, it is provided with a hand lever 26 which, when the bolts are thrust out over the arms 11 and 12, is turned to the right in Fig. 1 and rests upon-a support 27. A second lever 28 is secured'to a rock shaft 13 extending through the tubular sleeve 13 and a hearing it and which, through suitable crank arms secured thereto, may actuate rods 29, 30, 31 and 32,

and bolts 33, 34, 35 and 36 connected, re-' spectively to said rods which are adapted to slide through fixed bearings 33', 3 1, 35' and 36. The bolts 33, 3 1, 35 and 36 are adapted to engage lin s at the opposite ends of the lashing chains 45, so that, when the hand lever 28 connected to shaft 13 is moved to the left (Fig. 1), the lashing ropes are released. The levers 26 and 28 are connected in such a way that they may be operated as one system when a boat is lowered so that the boat will be freed both from the keel support and from its lashings. This connection may consist of a pin a carried by the rock shaft 13 and extending through an opening 5 in the sleeve 13, as shown in Figs. 3 and 1. By removing the pin a the rock shaft 13 may be restored to its locking position in advance of the sleeve 13. The rods 29 and 30 may also be provided with extensions 37 and 38 which serve to secure and release a braking mechanism for the lowering of the boats, such as shown in my co-pending application Serial No. 248,058, filedAug. 2, 1918. When the lever 26 is moved to the left in Fig. 1 the bolts 2 1- and 25 are, through the connections explained above, withdrawn from the arms 11 and 12 and the keel support rocks by its own weight to the left in Fig. 2 into the position shown The keel 42 of the boat 13 is then no longer supported so that when the bolts 33, 34, 35 and 36 are withdrawn from the lashings, the boat will swing to the left and then hang directly between the davits. These releasing operations may occur simultaneously by operating lever 28 which through pin a will actuate lever 26 and the bolts 2 1, 25. The boat, in addition to being supported by the keel support, clamps and supporting plates, as described above, is also supported by further clamps or chocks 39 and 10, shown in Fig. 2, to the right of the keel support and also illustrated in detail in Figs. 5 and 6. The clamps 39 and 4:0

I are, respectively, hinged, as at a1, to the opposite ends 1 and 3 of the deck framework so that they may be turned down inwardly, as shown in Fig. 6, to facilitate the placing of another boat upon the keel support. These further clamps or chocks may be secured in upright position by suitable bolts 51 carried by the clamps 39 and s0 and engaging the ends 1 and 3 of the deck framework.

After one boat has been launched and it is desired to place another boat on the keel support before releasing the same, the hinged clamps or chocks are turned down so that the boat may be slid on the frame supports 1 and 3 into the position shown in Fig. 2 where it may be secured to the cables 44 attached to the davits before releasing the same. If it is desired to secure the boat on the keel rest, the chocks 39 and 40 are rotated about their hinged connections until they assume the upright positions shown in Fig. 2 and engage one side of the boat. The bar 5 is then rotated until the clamping arms 9 and 10 engage the opposite side of the boat, the pin a is withdrawn to permit the rock shaft 13 and sleeve 13 to be operated independently of one another, and the lever arm 26 is actuated to the right in order to lock said clamps in this position by forcing the bolts 24 and 25 over the depending arms 11 and 12. The lashings 45 are then applied over the top of the boat and the handle 28 is turned to the right and projects the bolts 33, 34, 35 and 36 outwardly beyond the end supports 1 and 3 and the bearings 35, 36 to engage the end links of the lashings, thus fastening the boat in the position shown in Fig. 2 from which it may be readily released as above described to assume the position shown in dotted lines in that figure. It will be obvious that by leaving the pin a in place the levers 26 and 28 may be actuated together to simultaneously project the bolts which secure the keel supports and the lashings. Other modifications and re-arrangements of parts will occur to those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains and I desire to include all such modifications within the spirit of my invention if within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In mechanism of the class specified forming a boat keel support, frames for securement to a boat deck, davits and lashings in coiiperative positions to the frames, chocks hinged to the frames and adapted to be locked in fixed upright positions, a shaft mounted below and in the center of the mechanism and having a sleeve thereon of less length than said shaft, levers respectively secured to the shaft and sleeve, a supporting bar having plates extending upwardly therefrom and pivoted clamps for engagement with the boat keel and comprising upper and lower angularly projecting arms, and rods movably connected at their inner ends to said shaft and sleeve and having slide bolts attached to their outer ends to lock the several parts against movement.

2. In mechanism of the class described forming a boat keel support, frames secured to the deck of a vessel, a rotatable shaft, a lever connected to said shaft, a supporting bar having plates extending upwardly there from and pivoted clamps for engaging the keel and one side of the boat, said clamps having angularly projecting arms normally tending to assume an inoperative position and means operated by said lever for locking said clamps in operative position.

3. In mechanism of the class described forming a boat support, frames secured to the deck of a vessel, a rotatable shaft journaled in bearings mounted on the deck of the vessel, a sleeve rotatably mounted on. said shaft, levers connected respectively to said shaft and sleeve, a supporting bar having plates extending upwardly therefrom and pivoted clamps for engaging the keel and one side of the boat, said clamps having angularly projecting arms, differing in weight whereby said arms normally tend to assume an inoperative position, means operated by the lever connected to said sleeve for securing and releasing said clamps and mechanism actuated by the lever connected to said shaft to secure and release lashings about the boat.

4. Mechanism of the class described as specified in claim 3 and a connection between the sleeve and shaft whereby said levers may be actuated simultaneously or independentl 5. In mechanism of the:;. class described forming a boat support, davits mounted on the deck of a vessel, frames secured to the deck of the vessel at the side of and inboards with respect to said davits, means for supporting the boat on said frames having nor-' mally a tendency to assume an inoperative position, a locking device for holding said means in operative position, lashing for holding the boat on said frames, mechanism for fastening said lashings and means for releasing. said locking device and mechanism whereby said boat may automatically swing to a vertical position between said davits.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand. JACOB n1: BEER. 

